Means for feeding liquefied gasozone fuel to internal combustion engines



July 13, 1943- A. K. HINCHMAN 2,324,392

MEANS FOR FEEDING LIQUEFIED GASOZONE FUEL TO INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed June 12, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet l cazo/wf cnf/VERA Tof? PRESSURE EL/JLATOR July 13, 1943- A. K. HINCHMAN 2,324,392

MEANS FOR FEEDING LIQUEFIED GAS-OZONE FUEL TO INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed June l2, 1941 Y K4 Sheets-Sheet 2 L wwf/m g July' 13, 1943 A. K. HINCHMAN 2,324,392?.l

MEANS FOR FEEDING LIQUEFIED GAS-OZONE FUEL TO INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed June l2, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 MEANS FOR FEEDING LIQUEFIED GAS-OZONE FUEL TO INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed June l2, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 July 13, w43. A. K. HINCHMAN 2,324,392

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Patented July 13, 1943 MEANS FOR FEEDING LIQUEFIED GAS- OZONE FUEL T INTERNAL CMBUSTION ENGINES Alva K. Hinchman, Bryn Mawr, Pa., assignor to @zone Gas Combustion Co., Inc., a corporation of Delaware Application June 12, 1941, Serial No.397,674

(Cl. iS-180) 1 Claim.

My invention relates to a new and useful method of producing a liquefied gas-ozone fuel and means for feeding it toan internal combustion engine. A

One object of the present invention is to mix ozone with liquefied gas to produce a highly explosive engine fuel having a high octane rating, which fuel is inexpensive to produce and has little or no decomposing effect on the engine lubricating oil.

Another object of this invention is to provide an unique mixing valve for introducing ozone into the liquefied gas and for feeding the resultant fuel to an internal combustion engine.

Another object of the invention is to utilize the liquefied gas, prior to being incorporated with the ozone, as the cooling agent for the engine.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pressure regulator in the liquefied gas line which functions as a supercharger regulator in the apparatus.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for heating the fuel, if desired, prior to said fuel being fed to the engine.

A further object of the invention is to provide apparatus for passing liquefied gas from a storage receptacle through a pressure regulator, to and through a compartment for the cooling agent generally formed by a jacket about the engine cylinder or cylinders, thence to the mixing valve; to provide apparatus for passing ozone from a generator to and through a special feed device, preferably as a part o the mixing valve, to said mixing valve and finally, through a throttle, to theengine.

With the above and other objects in view, this invention consists of certain details of construem tion and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and then designated by the claim.

In order that those skilled in thel art to which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same, I will describe its construction, referring by numerals to the ac companying drawings forming a part hereof, in

Which Fig. 1 is a View of the apparatus constituting one part of my invention, the relation of the several elements to one, another being illustrated diagrammatically.

Fig. 2 is a similar view with some of the ele- Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the mixing valve on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the mixing valve in the same position as Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a view thereof looking at it from the left hand side of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a view of the same valve looking at it from the right hand side of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the rotary valve plug or throttle.

Fig. 8 is aview of the apparatus illustrating diagrammatically some of the elements and showing how the products of combustion can be utilized for heating the mixing valve.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of vmay be a tank or other receptacle 'I5 having a regulator or valve IS at the outlet, which valve is connected witha pressure regulator I1 to which is attached a pressure gage I8. From the pressure regulator leads a suitable conduit I9 to an inlet 2U to the cooling chamber I4 and said conduit should be of considerable length, but in order to save space of installation said conduit may have a coil2I formed therein. Another conduit 22 leads from the outlet 23 of the cooling chamber It to the mixing valve 2l. In order that the liquefied gas may be by-passed around the cooling chamber a valve 25 is interposed in the conduit lil and preferably a similar valve 26 is interposed in the conduit 22 and `said valves have a by-pass conduit 21 between them.

The mixing valve 2Q comprises a body having at least one expansion chamber 28 with which the conduit 22 is connected, and preferably includes a second expansion chamber 29 in opposed relation to the first mentioned one. OE- set to one side is a throttle chamber 30 to and from which lead the opposed inlet and outlet ports iii and 32 respectively, each of which has a rectangular portion, preferably oblong, at their points of communication with the throttle chamber 3o as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

A duct 33, controlled by an auxiliary needle valve 3d, leads from the expansion chamber 28 to a cross duct 35 which in turn leads to the The intake of each cylinder is controlled iently located and a conduit leads directly.

from the receptacle 39 to ber 29. y

In the throttle chamber 3l) is rotatably mounted the cylindrical throttle valve 4i, Fig. '7, having a V or wedge shaped aperture 42 extending into the body thereof from the inner end. This aperture 42 extends all the way across the throttle the expansion chamvalve body and one of the surfaces forming it is in a plane parallel to the axis while the other surface is oblique to the first mentioned one. When the valve 4i is rotated to cause the -oblique line to traverse the oblong portion of the outlet 92 said outlet will be gradually opened or closed as the case may be.

poses of illustration it is shown as provided with a lever 43 on its outer end to which may be attached a pull rod or wire 44 for actuating the:

valve from a remote location. The movements of the level and consequently the valve are limited by stops 45 and 46 which may be lugs on the valve casing.

To the inlet side 2i of the mixing valve is ccnnected the outlet of the ozone control valve 41 and forms a unit with the mixing valve. This ozone control valve includes a housing 49 within which is an apertured partition 49 functioning as a valve seat and also dividing the interior of the housing into two compartments 50 and 5i. A poppet valve 52 cooperates with the apertured partition or valve seat and has a stem projecting through and slidably mounted in said partition. A spring 53 urges the poppet valve towards a closed position in opposition to suction caused by operation of the engine. In compartment 5| is a butterfly valve I4 having an operating member 55 on the outside of the `ho'l1s"vvv ing and may also have an indicator or pointer II to show at all times the position of said butterfly valve.

Anozone generator 51 is conveniently located relative to the balance of the apparatus and includes a suitable airtight sealed casing or container 58. Within this casing is an outer tubular electrodel 59 containing a snugly fitting insulating sleeve 60 of glass or other suitable material.

Within said sleeve Si) is snugly fitted an inner tubular electrode 6| and snugly fitting inside of said inner electrode is an insulating sleeve 82 which may also be of glass but preferably of some other suitable material that might more readily permit the formation of internal threads at both ends thereof.

Screwed into each end of the insulating sleeve 02 is an insulated stuillng box 64 which is exterlorly threaded for this purpose and permits limited longitudinal adjustment of the stuiling box within the sleeve 62.

An exteriorly threaded rod projects through each stuffing box and has threaded connection with the latter to provide for longitudinal 'adiustment thereof. On the inner end of each rod is a head 86 of slightly smaller diameter than the interior diameter of the sleeve 62 so that the Said throttle valve 4| may be rotated in any convenient manner but for purcircumference of said head is spaced from the inner surface of said sleeve 62. Each threaded rod and its head forms a high tension electrode.

A conductor B1 is` connected to the inner tubular electrode 6| at one end thereof and to the adjacent high tension electrode, and another ccnduCtOI' 5B is connectedto the outer electrode I9 and its adjacent or other high tension electrode.

Another conductor 69 connects one endof the outer electrode I9 with the secondary side of the transformer 10 and still another conductor 1| connects the opposite end of the inner electrode `6| with said secondary side of the transformer 10. The primary side of the transformer is connected by line conductors 12 with a source of electrical energy and said conductors 12 pass through airtight insulators 1l in one wall of the casing or container l1.

An air inlet 14 leads from the extlor of the casing or container 51 and passes through. the tubular electrodes 59 and 8| and their insulating sleeves and 02 to a location inside of the inner insulating sleeve 62 between the two stuiling boxes 64, and said air inlet 14 has a suitable air controlling valve 15 interposed therein at any convenient location outside of the casing 51.

Leading from the space within the inner insulating sleeve 62 between the two stuffing boxes and at a distance from the point of entrance of the air inlet 14, is an ozone outlet 19 passing through the tubular electrodes and their insulating sleeves and communicating with the interior of the casing 51. In order to provide means for permitting air to enter the casing or container 51 for mixture with the produced ozone, I provide a secondary or auxiliary air inlet or intake 11 leading only to the interior of said casing or container l1 and said secondary air inlet'or intake is controlled by a cock or valve 1l.

'I'he interior of the casing'or container 51 is in communication with the chamber l! of ther ozone controlling valve 41 through a conduit 1l which may be provided with a pressure gage' l0. When the ozone passes through the controlling valve 41 and enters the mixing valve 24, said ozone will mix with and enrich the gas also entering the mixing valve and the fuel thus formed will be drawn from said mixing valve through the conduit Il to the intake or intakes or intake manifold-oi' the engine I Il.

It is advisable, under some conditions, as when operating an engine at high altitudes, such as in the stratosphere, to raise the-temperature of the ozone just before entering the mixing valve. 'I'his may be accomplished in any suitable or dcsirable manner, and for convenience of illustration only, I show in Fig. 8 a hot air drum 92 connected with a source of heat, for example, the exhaust 89 of the engine. A hot air pipe 94 runs from said drum 82 to a stove Il comprising coils oi' said pipe, a chamber formed by a Jacket on the 'ozone controlling valve 41 or other equivalent means. Oi' course this heat exchange device can be a part of the inlet structure 3| of the mixing valve or part o! both the controlling and mixing valves.

When the heat is not needed it may be shut oil' by a damper or valve I9 interposed in the pipe I4. In order to agitate the hot air passing through the pipe and keep an even flow thereof, a fan I1, Fig. 9, is installed in said pipe between the damper 56 and the stove or heat exchange element Il. This fan is particularly advantageous where the exhaust products pass directly through the pipe B4 as a by-pass of the exhaust outlet.

into the tubular electrodes 59 and 6i and thence to the high tension electrodes 'and this high.

tension current passes from one high tension e1ec trode to the other. During the operation of the electrical portion of the apparatus as above described air or oxygen, preferably'the former, is permitted to flow through the inlet 14 into the chamber formed by the innerinsulatingsle'eve 62 and the stuiilng boxes, where lt is acted upon by the high tension current and converted into ozone which then ows through the outlet 16 into the interior of the casing 51 from where it flows, in due course, through the conduit 19 into the chamber 50 of the ozone controlling valve 41.

At the same time. liqueed gas is permitted to now from the receptacle I through the conduit I9 and either through the engine cooling chamber Il orthrough the ny-pass 21 to the conduit 22 into ozone passes through the throttle valve chamber it is mixed with gas ejected through the duct 35 into said throttle valve chamber. The ilow of the fuel thus produced is controlled by the throttle valveV 4| for retarding or accelerating the engine.

Of course I do not Wish to be limited to the exact details of construction herein shown and v described, as these may be varied within the scope the mixing chamber 28 of the mixing valve 24. v

Where this liquefied gas passesk through the cooling chamber of the engine, the movement and expansion of said gas will cause its temperature to drop considerably and cool the engine without having a Wedge shaped notch in its inner end to provide a variable passageway from the inlet to the outlet, said mixing valve housing having an expansion chamber and feed duct leading therefrom to a cross duct all offset to the throttle valve .chamber with which said cross duct communic'ates at the end of the notch in the throttle, a needle valve to control the outlet duct, another needle valve to control the cross duct, a two cornu partment controlling valve housing connected to the inlet of the throttle valve chamber, a damper 1 valve in the inner compartment, a poppet valve relying upon the use of the ordinary water or air cooling systems. Under some conditions gas from the emergency tank 39 maybe allowed to now from the tank or receptacle 39 through the conduit 40 to the mixing chamber 29 of the mixing valve 2l.

In any owe, with the valves properly set, when the engine piston is on its suction stroke a suction action is created in the conduit v-BI and the throttle valve chamber back to the chamber El of the ozone controlling valve l1 thus drawing a charge or ozone from the chamber 5U. As the t controlling a communication between said com- Anvn n c 

